Budget Weddings: Getting married without getting screwed
Written: Feb 13 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: jam-packed with information on practical wedding details, including online resources
Cons: some estimates seem a little high, appeals mostly to mainstream audiences
The Bottom Line: Good, informative guide on how to power-shop for your wedding and get good deals on everything from wedding gowns to florists.
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| arianej's Full Review: |
About three years ago when I started planning our wedding, my husband and I browsed through bookstores to look for help. Unfortunately, the majority of the books we found were either etiquette guides or books that gave only vague ideas and suggestions and seemed more intent upon providing lots of soft-lit pictures. That was all well and good, but what we really needed was a no-nonsense, informative guide that would lay out the details for us. We didn't know the first thing about picking out a dress, a reception site or interviewing caterers or photographers, and time was running out fast. Luckily for us, we happened upon Bridal Bargains by Denise and Alan Fields, two ordinary people who had the same problems and decided to remedy it by writing a book themselves.
Content and Organization
It's hard to believe so much information can be crammed into a fairly small book, but the Fields do an excellent job. Part I covers the wedding, everything from choosing the bride's gown and wedding party apparel to hunting for the ceremony site, flowers and wedding invitations. Part II deals with reception details like the reception site, caterers, photography, cakes, entertainment, wedding videos and even small sections on shopping for limo services, rings, Canadian resources for brides and grooms up North, and how to deal with problems on the Big Day itself.
The above was an extremely quick paraphrase, and I don't want to give the impression that this book is a lightweight one in terms of content. All the sections are very, very thorough. Nearly all the sections cover step-by-step shopping strategies, secrets to save money, common myths, warnings about retailer rip-offs and even small reviews of various companies and designers. For example, in the wedding gown section, the Fields stress the protection paying by credit card (vs. by personal check) can provide in case a bridal shop goes out of business or tries to pull a fast one, citing that credit card companies can go to bat for you and get back your money if something bad happens. They also warn about common tricks shops use, like cutting out clothing tags (so you don't know who the designer is) and the possibility of retailers passing off cheaper synthetic fabrics as expensive silk. The book also contain small blurbs on real-life brides, questions, horror stories, and more upliftingly, good tips other brides have discovered and passed on--like how much cheaper it is to make your own veil, or a good tip on limo rentals.
In the beginning, the Fields include their estimate of an average U.S. wedding including what percentage of the total budget is usually spent on what, etc. Every section that deals with buying includes a list of questions to ask your baker, caterer, photographer, you name it. As an added bonus, the back of the book repeats these questions in a checklist format that is perforated so you can rip it out and take it along with you when you shop. There is also a directory of phone numbers for all the companies listed in the book. The Table of Contents is a great way to get a quick idea of all the topics covered, and the Fields a so have a website listed where you can get updates, since the book is updated annually.
Is it really a bargain?
Overall, I'd have to say yes. Since we mostly did the planning ourselves without much help from parents and family, the guide was indispensable for covering all the details of what we had to plan, when we had to plan it, and gave great strategies to avoid being taken by the wedding industry. My favorite tip was regarding the online flower wholesaler, 2G Roses (http://www.freshroses.com) where we ended up buying the flowers for our wedding. The total cost from them was under $100, and the quality was excellent. Shipping and handling turned out to be rather expensive, but since we did the floral arrangements ourselves (except for the bride's bouquet) we saved ourselves the labor cost of a regular florist. I also was able to arrange the details of the shipment long-distance, an extra plus since I couldn't be there to interview florists or see samples in person.
I also appreciated the shot of common sense and practicality the book delivered. The Fields treat the wedding planning with humor--something they say the bride and groom MUST have in order to survive. They are absolutely correct. I've noticed it is easy for people to lose perspective where weddings are concerned, since it's a time where emotions run high. The authors not only caution against trying to have the perfect wedding (which is unrealistic and a dangerous challenge to one's sanity), they also emphasize treating wedding shopping like shopping for anything else. You try to get a good deal, and avoid overpaying simply because it's a wedding.
Small Issues
There are only a few places I don't fully appreciate the book's approach, and they're really minor concerns. The first was the estimate of wedding costs in the Introduction, where the total was $15,585 for a wedding of 200 guests. The authors do mention this is based on industry estimates, and that averages are just that--averages. However, I still think this estimate may be a little intimidating for people who truly need to budget their wedding. I realize a mere fifteen grand may be nothing to someone who has a lot of money or that some people view the expense as worth it, and those people will probably be very happy with this book.
There are, however, those of us who haven't dreamed about our wedding day since we were five and who want a very simple wedding where our family and friends can gather. We also don't want to pay more for our wedding than we did for our first car or for our first year of college. People who fit this description might want to consult other resources in addition to this book. Bridal Bargains is mostly targeted toward a mainstream audience. In other words, you're not going to find much on Medieval or Renaissance weddings, and you're not necessarily going to find hard-core money saving concepts. Don't get me wrong, this book is pretty darn good when it comes to saving money, but I found the general outlook a little lacking. I can't help it, I cringe at the thought of spending thousands on a dress, even if it is a bargain of $2000 down from $8000. We often ended up spending much less the the estimate, and opting for less formal arrangements when it came to catering (done by a friend), cakes (dealt with individual rather than bakery), and photography (excellent amateur photographer, no contract, we got negatives).
To be fair, there are good, practical tips. Making your own wedding veil can save more money and require less sewing skills than you think, since veils can run over a hundred dollars. That's pretty bad for an accessory made mostly out of tulle (which is cheap) and that you'll probably never wear again. Making your own invitations is another good tip, since they can run several hundred dollars as well. But tips like this aren't really the sole focus of the book. Bridal Bargains is about how to get the best out of the wedding industry, not a do-it-yourself book. To many, this isn't a big deal, but it's an issue worth mentioning for serious penny-pinchers.
Recommendations
This is a good book for anyone who feels a little overwhelmed by the planning process. I personally found it reassuring to have all the details laid out for me in a concise fashion, by people who had gone through the same ordeal and who didn't have a vested interest in getting me to buy X wedding gown. If nothing else, the humor (even the copyright page is funny) might help you relax a bit. Weddings can be terribly stressful, and it's easy to take oneself too seriously.
Even if you don't find all the information applicable--we didn't, since we didn't have a formal caterer or wedding videos--it's a good starting point for research and may help give you more ideas on what you'd like to prioritize for your wedding. Better yet, the Fields have a money-back guarantee. An insert in the back (you'll also see it advertised on the front of the book) says that if the book doesn't save you at least $500 off your wedding expenses, they will give you a complete refund on the cost of the book. No questions asked. They're not that confident for nothing!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
arianej
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Member: Ariane
Location: Ohio
Reviews written: 230
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